Meet the Artists - Philly

Join Sarah Steinwachs and Joshua Marsh at Cerulean Arts to discuss their current exhibition “Drawing Near” featuring work by them and fellow Yale graduates Tamar Miller and Kathranne Knight. For more information about the exhibition, please visit this website or call 267-514-8647.

Sunday, March 16, 1-4pm and Gallery Talk at 2pm.

Five Senses

Yesterday I was down at the Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria; first I spent about half an hour checking out a couple of very good Art League shows juried by Jack Boul and Sarah Tanguy; review coming later.

Then I went to Target Gallery to see "Five Senses," which I had juried from digital files, and was really pleased with the show; you gotta go see this really cool exhibition - it's not what you'd expect and let me give you a hint: it makes the entire building smell of mouthwash!

I awarded Best in Show to an amazing piece by Illinois artist Pamela Paulsud. Titled "Touchstones," the work is comprised of 50 altered books and some real stones, and it is an imaginative and smart work that fools the visual senses, and then demands tactile interaction.

"Touchstones" by Pamela Paulsud
Those are mostly books, not stones in the above image of the winning piece.

See the short video of the show below and you'll see why I am so excited about this show - I hope that some of the area's art critics and art bloggers get a chance to see it, and I also think that some of my fellow art dealers should pop in - there are a couple of really, really good pieces in this show, and those artists definitely need some further exploration.

Judy and the Boys


The above photograph by Lida Moser is known as "Mimicry" or more commonly "Judy and the Boys." It his perhaps her best-known image, and for a while it was the most popularly requested photograph from the Library of Congress archives.

I've seen this photo described as "dancing in the streets."

Here's the real story.

Circa 1961, the model (named Judy) hired Lida Moser to shoot a publicity portfolio, and Moser convinced Judy that the streets of the Bowery in NYC would be an ideal location.

So they began posing and shooting, and soon a small band of New York City urchins approached them.

"Hey Lady," says Lida the oldest one said to her, "take my pichurr."

"Get lost," answered Moser, "We're working here."

"C'mon lady," the kids now insisted, "take our pichurr."

Soon, to the irritation of Judy, the eldest boy started to mimic her poses. "See lady," he said, "I can pose too."

Moser is not a photographic genius for nuthin' and she recognized the photographic opportunity and started backing up slowly to include the boys in the frame. Judy was now really pissed, and look at her dainty gloved hand, as she gives the street ruffians the finger.

Eventually Moser included the boys in other photographs (all part of a series loosely called "Judy and the Boys") and the images became part of the portfolio. The first photo (imaged above) captures the beginning of a brilliant photo that has little to do with dancing in the streets but loads to do with the eye of a savvy street photographer.

Lida Moser opens tonight at 6PM at Fraser Gallery in Bethesda.

Bethesda Art Walk Tonight

Tonight is the Bethesda Art Walk with openings and late hours and a free walking tour to over a dozen Bethesda art galleries and art venues.

My pick: Lida Moser at Fraser Gallery. Also, I learned from DCist that Moser will discuss her work on Saturday at 1 p.m., followed by a screening of two documentaries about her work.

"Along a Road in Tennessee," c. 1965 by Lida Moser

Weston and Modotti

Two tiny recent drawings, each about 2.25 square inches representing Edward Weston and Tina Modotti, who for a while were lovers while in Mexico City. Modotti was eventually executed by the Nazis in Germany died in Mexico under suspicious circumstances in 1942.

I like this

WaPo Chief Art Critic Blake Gopnik interviews Charles Cohan, a 47-year-old printmaker and art professor based in Hawaii, and currently exhibiting in DC's micro-gallery with a huge presence, Curator's Office.

Cohan's installation at Curator's Office
Read the interview here. The gallery reception for Cohan is Saturday, March 15 6:30 - 8:30 pm.

Wanna go to a gallery opening tonight?

Come to the opening of "Five Senses," the exhibition that I curated for Alexandria's Target Gallery.

The exhibition is up now and through April 6, 2008, and the opening reception (free and open to the public) is tonight, Thursday, March 13, 6-8pm and I will give a gallery talk tonight at 7PM and present the awards. You can start by attending the reception, having some munchies and wine, and then, after the reception, head out for the nightlife of Old Town Alexandria.

The artists that I selected come from all over the nation; they are: Participating Artists: David Bausman, Adam Bradley, Mirella Monti Belshe, Travis Childers, Julie Hitchcock, Laura Huff, Sun Kyoung Kim, Jenny Mastin, Scott Mickelson, Pamela Paulsrud, Thomas Schlotterback, Gary Schott, Anjali Srinivasan, J. Lewis Takahashi, Jennifer Williams, and Damian Yanessa.

This promises to be a terrific show and I can't wait to see the actual work later today.

See ya there!

Artists' Websites

"Intemperance" by Carrie Ann Baade
The recipient of a recent National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship granted through the Delaware Division of the Arts. Carrie Ann Baade received her B.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and her Masters in Painting from the University of Delaware. Carrie is currently an Assistant Professor of Painting and Drawing at Florida State University.

Visit her website here.

Opportunity for DC, VA and MD artists

Deadline: Friday, April 11, 2008

The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District is now accepting submissions for The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards. The 6th annual juried art competition awards $14,000 in prize monies to four selected artists. Deadline for slide submission is Friday, April 11, 2008 and up to fifteen artists will be invited to display their work from September 3 – September 28, 2008 in downtown Bethesda at Heineman Myers Contemporary Art.

The Trawick Prize is without a doubt, the key fine arts competition available to DC, MD and VA artists and has already produced some spectacular results for its winners.

This year's competition will be juried by Molly Donovan, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the National Gallery of Art; Irene Hofmann, Executive Director of the Contemporary Museum in Baltimore, MD and Leah Stoddard, Director of Second Street Gallery in Charlottesville, VA.

The first place winner will be awarded $10,000; second place will be honored with $2,000 and third place will be awarded $1,000. A “young” artist whose birth date is after April 10, 1978 may also be awarded $1,000.

Artists must be 18 years of age or older and residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. Original painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, fiber art, digital, mixed media and video are accepted. The maximum dimension should not exceed 96 inches in any direction. No reproductions. Artwork must have been completed within the last two years. Selected artists must deliver artwork to exhibit site in Bethesda, MD. All works on paper must be framed to full conservation standards.

The Trawick Prize was established by local Bethesda business owner Carol Trawick. Ms. Trawick has served as a community activist for more than 25 years in downtown Bethesda. She is the Chair of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District and past Chair of the Bethesda Urban Partnership. Additionally, the Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation was established in 2007 after the Trawicks sold their successful information technology company.

For a complete submission form, please visit www.bethesda.org or send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the Bethesda Urban Partnership, Inc., c/o The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, 7700 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20814.

Opportunity for Senior Artists

Deadline: Friday, March 20, 2008

Call for senior, non-professional artists to participate in the eleventh annual, non-juried exhibition entitled “A Lifetime of Perspective: Art by Older Adults.” Deadline March 20, 2008. The exhibition will be held at the JCC of Greater Washington’s Goldman Gallery May 18-30, 2008. This show offers Washington area adults 65+ the opportunity to show one piece in an exhibition by 120 artists. It is free to all participants. If an artists wishes to sell his or her work the JCC takes no commission. Come be a part of eleven years of celebrating senior’s creativity and talents. This art exhibit was created by Deena and Jerome Kaplan in memory of parents, Eve and David Berliant and is underwritten by the Kaplan Family, the JCC’s Deena and Jerome Kaplan Fund for Senior Adult Programming. For information or to make an appointment contact: Kandy Hutman 301-348-3864 email: khutman@jccgw.org.

Heartworks

In April 2008, Philadelphia will be the destination for a lot of cool contemporary art when the works of photographer/sculptor Jack Pierson, painter/sculptor Andrea Zittel, photographers Ryan McGinley and Zoe Strauss, mixed-media artist Alex Da Corte, installation design artist Virgil Marti, painter/musician Devendra Banhart, self-contained video artist Tim Tate and loads more other visual and performing artists from the United States and London are featured in “HeartWorks,” a week-long event benefiting the Mazzoni Center, a Philadelphia health agency serving the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community, specializing in HIV treatment and care.

Curator Christopher Veit (who is from my new hometown of Media, PA) credits the Mazzoni Center with saving his life and is taking the words of his mentor Pierson – “you only get back what you put out in life” – to heart in creating “HeartWorks.” He has decided to give the place and people who helped him get well a benefit of works and performances donated by his friends. All proceeds will support the Center. Lifestyle Magazine is a major sponsor for “HeartWorks.”

“HeartWorks” kicks off on Friday, April 18 with two-evenings of experimental multi-media and music, featuring innovative video art by Alex Bag, photography by Patterson Beckwith in collaboration with filmmaker Joshua Callaghan, musician Douglas Armour and rapper Tara De Long.

Then an exhibition of approximately 100 works of art will be on view beginning Tuesday, April 22, culminating in fundraiser/silent auction, featuring a performance by the saxophone ensemble, PRISM Quartet, on Saturday, April 26. “HeartWorks” will be held at the ICE BOX Project Space, 1400 N. American Street. Tickets for April 18 and 19 are $20; those for the April 26 fundraiser/silent auction range from $35 - $125. Patron packages, including limited prints by either Alex Da Corte or Jack Pierson, tickets to all “HeartWorks” events, and a patron event with the two artists on February 21, are $500 and $1,000. For information, visit www.inliquid.com/heartworks or call 215-563-0663.

Other artists contributing to “HeartWorks” include painters Elyce Abrams, Dave Bond, Anthony Campuzano, Jeff Elrod, Daniel Gonzalez, Robert Gutierrez, Ian Hokin, Pearl C Hsiung, Jackadandy, Michael Lazarus, Isaac Lin, Jay Schuette, Jeni Spota, Thaddeus Strode, Hiroshi Sunairi and Henry Taylor; sculptors Paul LEE and Jason Meadows; photographers Karl Hahn and Mary Pinto; mixed-media artists Shari Elf, Mark X Farina, Adam Helms, Thom Merrick, Sandeep Mukherjee, Michele O' Marah, Randy Polumbo and John Williams; fashion designers Paul Bernstock, Michael Costiff, Bettina Hubby and Thelma Speirs; jewelry designers Annie Costello Brown and Mikal Winn; video artists and filmmakers Zaina Alwan, who also creates murals, Tom Borgese, Paul Slocum, Jack Sloss and Kim Stringfellow; performance artists David M. Jones, Ann Magnuson, Kelly Marie Martin and Khembra Pfhaler; musician Chad Brown; and Ellie Greenwood, Gia Grosso, Tim Jackson, Daniel McDonald, Ji Shin and Lisa Sitko. Artist biographies are available in an accompanying document.

Mazzoni Center focuses on the healthcare needs of Philadelphia’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities, and specializes in the treatment and care of HIV / AIDS. For more information regarding Mazzoni Center, go to www.mazzonicenter.org.

VSA arts’ Call for Entries

Deadline: March 21, 2008

VSA arts is seeking visual artists with disabilities whose work is inspired by the performing arts for “Derivative Composition,” an international juried art exhibition that will be on display at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., from May 29-July 20, 2008. Two-and three-dimensional art, digital art, installations, video and film, and other media that draw inspiration from music, theater or dance are eligible. Submissions must have been completed in the last five years and after the onset of disability. Applications will be accepted through March 21, 2008. For more information, please visit this website or call (202) 628-2800.

MPA Artfest

Deadline: May 1, 2008

The McLean Project for the Arts in McLean, VA is accepting entries from local and regional artists and fine craftsmen for MPA artfest, a one day juried fine arts and crafts festival. The second annual MPA artfest will be held in McLean Central Park on Sunday, October 5. Last year's one day festival drew 3,500 music and arts lovers.

Entry forms are available at McLean Project for the Arts and online at www.mpaart.org. McLean Project for the Arts is located at 1234 Ingleside Avenue in McLean. Hours are Tuesday - Friday 10 am - 4 pm; Saturday 1-5 pm. For more information call 703-790-1953 or email artfest@mpaart.org

The Funnel

Just came across this really, really good Funnel Pages; all about the arts in Philadelphia. A one place online stop for openings, shows, reviews, etc. in Philly.

Visit them often here.

Artists' Websites

Hadieh Shafie is a student at School 33 in Baltimore and Hadieh is having an open studio on Saturday, April 12, 2008, Noon to 6PM.


Visit Hadieh's website here.

Lida Moser opens this Friday

Opening on March 14, 2007 and through April 5, 2007, the Fraser Gallery in Bethesda will be hosting their second solo exhibition of legendary American photographer Lida Moser, who now lives in retirement in nearby Rockville, Maryland.

This almost 90-year-old photographer is not only one of the most respected American photographers of the 20th century, but also a pioneer in the field of photojournalism. Her photography has been in the middle of a revival and rediscovery of vintage photojournalism, and has sold as high as $4,000 at Christie's auctions and continues to be collected by both museums and private collectors worldwide. In a career spanning over 60 years, Moser has produced a body of works consisting of thousands of photographs and photographic assemblages that defy categorization and genre or label assignment.

Additionally, Canadian television recently finished filming a documentary about her life; the second in the last few years, and Moser’s work is now in the collection of many museums worldwide.

She was once called the "grandmother of American street photography" by an art critic, which prompted a quick rebuttal by Moser, who called the writer's editor and told him that she wasn't the "fucking grandmother of anything or anyone, and would he [the writer] ever describe Ansel Adams or any other male photographer as the 'grandfather' of any style."

Tough New Yorker.

I once sold one of her rare figure studies to a big famous photography collector from the West Coast (who collects mostly nude photography). There were four or five prints of the image, taken and printed around 1961, but one had all the markings and touch-up evidence of the actual photo that had been used by the magazine, and thus I sent him that one.

He called me to complain that although he loved Moser's work, that he wasn't too happy with the retouching, and could I ask Lida for one of the untouched photos.

Now, you gotta understand that these images were taken and touched-up by hand for publication in a newspaper or magazine (since they were nudies, the latter probably). They were not touched up for a gallery or an art show - they were "battlefield" prints of a working photographer.

I called Lida and explained the situation over the phone. "Sweetie," she said to me in her strong New York accent, "you call that guy right back and tell him that you talked to Lida Moser and that Lida Moser told you to tell him: Fuck You!"

I didn't do that, but just sent him an untouched vintage print.

Tough New Yorker.

Lida was a well-known figure in the New York art scene of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, and a portrait of Lida Moser by American painter Alice Neel hangs in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. Neel painted a total of four Moser portraits over her lifetime, and one of them was included in the National Museum of Women in the Arts' "Alice Neel's Women" exhibition.

"Charles Mingus in his Apartment in New York City", c. 1965.

Among her body of works there are also loads of photographs of well-known artists and musicians that either hung around Lida's apartment in NYC or who were part of her circle of friends.



Lida Moser's photographic career started as a student and studio assistant in 1947 in Berenice Abbott's studio in New York City, where she became an active member of the New York Photo League. She then worked for Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Look and many other magazines throughout the next few decades, and traveled extensively throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.

In 1950 Vogue, and (and subsequently Look magazine) assigned Lida Moser to carry out an illustrated report on Canada, from one ocean to another. When she arrived at the Windsor station in Montreal, in June of that same year, she met by chance, Paul Gouin, then a Cultural Advisor to Duplessis government. This chance meeting led Moser to change her all-Canada assignment for one centered around Quebec.

Armed with her camera and guided by the research done by the Abbot Felix-Antoine Savard, the folklorist Luc Lacourcière and accompanied by Paul Gouin, Lida Moser then discovers and photographs a traditional Quebec, which was still little touched by modern civilization and the coming urbanization of the region.

Decades later, a major exhibition of those photographs at the McCord Museum of Canadian History became the museum’s most popular exhibit ever.

She has also authored and been part of many books and publications on and about photography. She also wrote a series of "Camera View" articles on photography for The New York Times between 1974-81.

Her work has been exhibited in many museums worldwide and is in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London, the National Archives, Ottawa, the National Galleries of Scotland, National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC, the Library of Congress, Les Archives Nationales du Quebec, Corcoran Gallery, Phillips Collection and many others.

Moser was an active member of the Photo League and the New York School.

The Photo League was the seminal birth of American documentary photography. It was a group that was at times at school, an association and even a social club. Disbanded in 1951, the League promoted photojournalism with an aesthetic consciousness that reaches street photography to this day.


"New York City, Office Building Lobby" c. 1965

An opening reception for Ms. Moser will be held on Friday, March 14, 2007 from 6-9PM as part of the Bethesda Art Walk. The reception is free and open to the public.

If you are a photographer, do not miss this opportunity to meet one of the women who set the path for all of you. If you just love the arts, Moser is also a walking encyclopedia of anecdotes and stories about the New York art world of the 50s, 60s and 70s.

Read the WaPo review of her last exhibition here.

WPA Auction Online Bidding

The WPA Art Auction is online for the rest of this week, and four online bidders have so far ended up winning their lots before the Gala, so it’s definitely worth a shot for collectors who might be unsure about their chances of winning, especially with the auction gala now having passed.

Check it out here.

Student Art

I am a huge fan of art created by students, perhaps because as an art student I used to sell nearly all of my art school assignments in Seattle's Pike Place Market.

And later this summer I will be curating an exhibition for the Longview Gallery in Washington, DC titled "Early Look," which will showcase work by undergraduate art students along the Mid Atlantic.

In Philly, the Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial will host its 110th Annual Adult Student Members Exhibition (March 21 through April 26, 2008). The Annual Adult Student Members Exhibition is the culmination of the 110th year of fine art instruction at South Philadelphia’s Fleisher Art Memorial. This year’s exhibition will consist of two parts – designed and developed by students and their instructors – exemplifying the teaching and learning philosophy of the Fleisher Art Memorial. Nearly 400 students will have their work on view in Fleisher’s galleries. Many of these works will be for sale.

Part I: March 21 – April 5, will feature drawings, paintings, prints, sculpture, and photographs by adults enrolled in Fleisher’s program of free-tuition classes. A closing reception and awards ceremony for this portion of the exhibition will be held on Saturday, April 5, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Part II: April 11 – April 26, will feature work from the summer, fall, and spring workshop programs. A closing reception and awards ceremony will be held on Saturday, April 26, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Details here.

Job in the Arts

Deadline: March 17, 2008

The Maryland Federation of Art (MFA) is a membership organization of artists and art patrons whose mission is to provide exhibition and professional development opportunities for artists and to provide arts education and outreach opportunities for all Maryland citizens. Reporting to the Maryland Federation of Art (MFA) Board of Directors, the Executive Director serves as the chief staff officer and is responsible for the overall leadership and management of the MFA's programs and operations. This position is a part-time position (approximately 30 hours per week) and there is some flexibility allowed for when the hours are worked.

MFA operates the Circle Gallery, which annually hosts three juried national exhibitions, four juried member exhibitions and numerous solo and group shows. In addition, the MFA also conducts education and outreach activities for children and community groups and professional development opportunities for artists. MFA currently employs a full-time Gallery Manager and one part-time Gallery Assistant. Please visit MFA's website for more organizational information at www.mdfedart.org.

To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, and salary requirements by close of business, Monday, March 17, 2008. All candidate submissions will be confidential. Please send an email to the MFA search consultant at stews@mindspring.com for the full position description.

Applications may either be e-mailed to MFA consultant Sharon Stewart at stews@mindspring.com or mailed to Maryland Federation of Art, 18 State Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401, Attention: Sharon Stewart/Executive Director Search. You will receive confirmation of receipt of your application. It is expected that candidate interviews will begin the week of March 24th.

Here we go again

1. A Berlin gallery has an exhibition that was organized by the Danish group Surrend, which said that it wanted to oppose religious extremism.

2. Same said Berlin gallery closes the exhibition after threats "believed to be from Muslims."

Read the BBC story here.